Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 6y

PSG sign Schalke defender Thilo Kehrer on five-year contract

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of defender Thilo Kehrer from Schalke on a five-year contract.

The 21-year-old arrives at Parc des Princes for a fee in the region of €37 million after moving into the final 12 months of his previous deal in Gelsenkirchen.

The French champions had been courting Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng since coach Thomas Tuchel's arrival, but Schalke announced on Sunday that a deal had been reached subject to Kehrer's medical.

Kehrer, who was on Stuttgart's books for two years before joining Schalke, passed his PSG medical at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine on Tuesday before putting pen to paper.

"It is with much joy and ambition that I have signed for PSG," he said. "Everyone in Europe knows how strong and exciting the PSG project is and I could not think of a better club for me to continue my progression and reach my objectives.

"I am going to meet some extraordinary teammates and work with a coach that has done a great job in Germany in recent years -- everyone is going to be important in helping me and I, in turn, hope to help the team with my qualities.

"I also cannot wait to play at Parc des Princes, a legendary stadium in European football."

Kehrer helped Schalke finish in second place in the Bundesliga last season with both goals in a 2-1 win away at Augsburg on the penultimate day of last season.

Tuchel is known to be a fan of the versatile youngster, while chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also delighted with the new arrival.

"We are very happy to welcome a player with Thilo's quality into our squad," Al-Khelaifi said. "During his career, he has learned to play different formations and in different positions, both defence and midfield.

"Thilo will offer a number of solutions to the coach, who already knows the player very well. Several big clubs were chasing his signature, and he chose PSG to continue his climb through the ranks of European football.

"This transfer is in keeping with our policy of producing, and attracting, the talented stars of tomorrow, with the aim of helping them improve alongside great and experienced players."

Kehrer will wear the No. 4 shirt and has represented Germany regularly since 2012 from under-16 to U21 level.

He currently captains Germany's U21 side and he was part of the 2017 U21 European Championship-winning Mannschaft team.

Kehrer made his Bundesliga debut in February 2016 and made 59 appearances, scoring four goals across all competitions over the following two seasons.

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